Redeem now 
- Trader Joe's line of Charles Shaw wines sells for just $3.99 in New York.
- Business Insider's retail desk recently did a wine tasting with a number of these wines.
- I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Charles Shaw red wine blend, although not all my colleagues agreed.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
- And to hear the full story behind Two-Buck Chuck, subscribe to Business Insider's podcast, "Household Name."
Trader Joe's in-house Charles Shaw wine doesn't sell for $1.99 anymore, but its "Two-Buck Chuck" nickname showcases its frugal reputation.
Safe to say, it'd be unwise to go into a Charles Shaw wine tasting with over-the-top expectations. In many cases, you're getting what you're paying for.
And out of all the red wines, my expectations were lowest for the blend. I just didn't know what to anticipate.
But, much to my surprise, the red blend ended up being my personal favorite out of the bunch.
Read more: We taste-tested 8 of Trader Joe's 'Two-Buck Chuck' wines. Here's how they ranked from worst to best.
When it comes to wine, I'm pretty basic. If a drink tastes cozy and reminds me of Christmas, I'm all about that. And that's exactly what the red blend brings to the table.
My four fellow tasters and I commented on notes of "nutmeg," "warming spices," and "citrus zest." One colleague opined that the wine "tastes cheap without much complexity, but honestly I don't hate it."
"I would buy it and serve it at a lushy Christmas party," another reviewer wrote. "It's cheap and efficient."
As for me, I'd be content to sip a glass of the Charles Shaw red blend next to a crackling fire on a cold winter's night.
Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know. Subscribe to push notificationsWatch: A sommelier compared 11 wines from Costco, Target, Trader Joe's, and BJ's — and the winner was clear
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufony1vsCdnKtlmqSytHnTsKZmmqWYuG6vx66apGWimrFuw8innGaanJq7pXnRnq2inadif3F9mGZs